1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a singulating brush assembly having two sets of bristles which can be selectively used in a finger pickup seed meter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Finger pickup seed meters are popular seed meters used in row crop planters. The finger pickup seed meter comprises a rotatable member having a series of radially extending fingers having seed trapping spoons. The rotatable member adjoins a stationary plate having a seed outlet. The stationary plate has a finger pickup side and a conveyor side. A seed puddle is formed adjacent to the finger pickup side of the stationary plate so that spoons passing through the seed puddle are first opened by a camming mechanism and then closed trapping the seed between the stationary plate and the seed engaging spoons. The seed engaging spoons rotate the trapped upwardly out of the seed puddle to the seed outlet. The seed is passed through the seed outlet to the conveyor side of the stationary plate. A belt conveyor receives the seed and transports the seed to a downwardly extending seed tube. The seed tube in turn directs the seed to the planting furrow formed by a furrow opener.
Immediately upstream from the seed outlet is a singulating brush for eliminating extra seed trapped by the seed engaging spoons. The brush knocks off the extraneous seed returning to the seed puddle. The bristles of the singulating brush pass through a brush aperture formed in the stationary plate. It has been found that at higher planting speeds or with smaller seeds that finger pickup meters tend to overpopulate. Brushes having stiffer bristles improve seed meter performance with smaller seeds and higher planting speeds, but stiffer brushes tend under populate with larger seeds and slower planting speeds.